ResumesandCoverLettersUnit10AdvancedBusinessEnglishWritingContentsIntroduction:ResumesElementsofaresumeResumelanguageStrategiesforwritingaresumeThreeformatsofresumesHowtochoosetherightformatforyouIntroduction:CoverlettersGeneraloutlineforacoverletterTwotypesofcoverlettersStrategiesforwritingacoverletter/01Introduction:ResumesAresumecanalsobedefinedinanumberofotherways.Aresumeisanessentialpartofajobsearchatthemanageriallevel.Aresumeisthemosteffectiveinstrumentforfindingworkorgainingone’sdesiredvocationalsituation.Aresumeisadooropenertoaninterview.Aresumeisaformaldocumentdescribingthequalificationsofajobseeker.Aresumeisaself-appraisalthatstressesajobseeker’spastandpresentaccomplishmentsinordertoindicatefuturepotential.Aresumeisabriefbusinessbiographyorvocationalhistorythatemphasizesajobseeker’sexperience,accomplishments,education,andobjectivesexpressedinfavorableterms./02Elementsofaresumenameaddress(withthezipcode)phonenumber(withtheareacode)e-mailaddressPersonalidentificationThisisactuallytheheadlineofyourresume.Likeitscounterpartinanewspaperstory,itshouldtellthereaderinafewwell-chosenwordswhattoexpectfromthematerialthatfollows.Yourresumeshouldbegearedtoyourjobobjective.Statetheobjectiveclearlyattheoutset.Ifyouknowtheexperienceandqualificationsneededforajob,directyourresumetodescribe,asspecificallyaspossible,yourabilitytomeetthecriteria.Titleofthepositionyouareseekingoryourobjectiveinclusivedatesofyouremployment(usethephrase“topresent”toindicatecurrentemployment)namesandaddressesofyouremployersyourjobtitlesdescriptionofyourdutiesaccomplishmentsExperiencenameofthecollegeoruniversitydatesofattendancedegreesandhonorsachievedEducationpersonaldatacareersummary/highlightsextracurricularactivitiesprofessionalmembershipsummerworkwhileattendingschoolorcollegecommunityactivities/volunteerworkpublicationsandpatentsskillshobbiesMiscellaneousinformation(optional)You’dbetternotincludethefollowingitemsinyourresume:politicalpreferencesprevioussalariesanticipatedsalariesreasonsforleavingpreviouspositionsopinionsofpreviousemployers/03ResumelanguageThelanguageofaresumemustbecrystalclear,succinct,crisp,trenchant,expressive,instantlyunderstood,andfasttoread.Itshouldbeconcrete,builtonshortwordsandsentences,andscrupulouslyedited.Fullsentencesareusuallyunnecessary,becauseyoudon’thaveroomforthat.Keywordsarerequiredforanyresume.Goodresumesalsohingeonactionverbs.Youmayalsousethespecializedvocabularyofyourjobarea.Thenatureoftheresumelanguagearisesoutofaneedforclearexpressioninaminimumnumberofwordstocreateamaximumimpact./04StrategiesforwritingaresumeUseactionverbsandstrongadjectives.Makeitfuture-orpresent-oriented,suggestingthat“Iamthiskindofperson,withtheseabilities,asmypastrecorddemonstrates.”Avoidrepeatingwordsorphrases.Leaveoutunnecessarywords,sentences,andphrasessuchas“Dutiesincluded/Hiredto/Projectinvolved.”Avoidstiltedorconfusinglanguage.Askyourself,“WouldItalklikethat?”Donotusethefirstperson“I”oranypronouns.Beconsistentandusethesamegrammaticalstylethroughout.Avoidtooobviousself-flatteringtermssuchas“extremelycompetent,”“unexpectedlyoutstanding,”or“extraordinary.”Describeyouraccomplishmentseffectivelyandletthereadersdecideforthemselvesthatyouarewellqualified.Behonestandaccurate,butnotoverlymodest.Conveythroughthestyleandcontentofyourresumeanunderstandingofyouraudience’sneeds,priorities,hiringcriteria,andvocabulary.Chooseyourresumeformatbyreflectingonyourvocationalandeducationalstrengthsandweaknesses.Composetheresumetohighlightyourstrengths.Itisimportanttoproofreadyourresumetoavoidspellingandgrammarmistakes.Limitthelengthofyourresumetooneortwopages.Resumefontsshouldbeseriforsans-seriffonts,suchasTimesNewRomanorArial,andnosmallerthan11ptorlargerthan12pt./05ThreeformatsofresumesGenerally,aresumeshouldincludethefollowinginformation:yournameandcontactinformation—address,phonenumber,etc.theheadline—yourjobobjective,asummaryofyourbackgroundandskills,orbothyourworkexperience—listingeachjobyou’vehad,startingwithyourcurrentormostrecentposition,withadescriptionofeachyoureducationalbackgroundotherrelevantinformation,includingpersonalinterestsandactivities,certificationsandlicenses,honorsandawards,professionalorganizations,patentsandpublications,andlanguageskillsThechronologicalformatSampleNoticethefollowingspecialcharacteristicsofthechronologicalresume:It’sverystraightforward.Thefactualdataaboutyourcareerispresentedinalogicalsequence,makingiteasierforthereadertoreconstructyourhistoryinastep-by-stepfashion.Itemphasizesthenaturalprogressionofyourcareerfromonejobtothenext—orthelackofsuchaprogressionifyourcareerhasbeenmarkedbyseveralsteps“backward”or“sideways.”Itmakesthechronologyofyourlifeandworkhistoryobvious.Thus,periodsofunemploymentorself-employmentaregenerallyeasytospot,andit’susuallyeasytofigureoutyourage.Thechronologicalformat

Thefunctionalformat

Here’sthetraditionalsequenceofinformationinthefunctionalresumeandtwosamplefunctionalresumesareprovided:yournameandcontactinformation—address,phonenumber,etc.theheadline—yourjobobjective,asummaryofyourbackgroundandskills,orbothyourjobskills,listedunderaheadingsuchas“Profile,”“ProfessionalExperience/Skills,”“NotableAccomplishments,”orthelikeThefunctionalformat

abriefsummaryofyourworkexperience—listingeachjobyou’vehad,startingwithyourcurrentormostrecentposition,butwithlittleornodescriptionyoureducationalbackgroundotherrelevantinformation,includingpersonalinterestsandactivities,certificationsandlicenses,honorsandawards,professionalorganizations,patentsandpublications,andlanguageskillsThefunctionalformat

Thefunctionalformat

Thefunctionalformat

Becausethefunctionalresumeleadsoffwithjobskillsratherthanalistingofpositionsyou’veheld,itoffersseveraldistinctopportunitiestothejobseeker:Itallowsyoutogroupaccomplishmentsbyfunctionalarearatherthanbyjob.Thus,ifyou’vedemonstratedaparticularskillontwoorthreejobs,youcanclustertheseaccomplishmentsunderthesameskillheadingforamorepowerfuleffect.Itiseasierforyoutosuggesthowskillsfromonefieldorindustrycanbetransferredtoanother.Itde-emphasizeschronologyandcareerprogressioninfavorofthepackageofskillsandknowledgeyoucurrentlyhavetooffer.ThefunctionalformatAsyoucanimagine,thefunctionalformatisespeciallypopularamongcertainspecificgroupsofjobseekers,including:Recentgraduatesorthosereturningtotheworkforcewhoneedtohighlighttheskillsandexperiencegainedinvolunteer,part-time,orotherinformaltypesofwork.Careerchangerswhoneedtoshowhowtheirskillsfromoneindustrycanbeappliedtoanother.Thosewithirregularcareerpatterns,includingperiodsofunemploymentorself-employment,orjobshiftsthatappeartobestepsbackwardorsidewaysratherthanforward.Thecombinationformatyournameandcontactinformation—address,phonenumber,etc.theheadline—yourjobobjective,asummaryofyourbackgroundandskills,orbothyourjobskills,listedunderaheadingsuchas“Profile,”“ProfessionalExperience/Skills,”“NotableAccomplishments,”orthelikeyourworkexperience—listingeachjobyou’vehad,startingwithyourcurrentormostrecentposition,withadescriptionofeachyoureducationalbackgroundotherrelevantinformation,includingpersonalinterestsandactivities,certificationsandlicenses,honorsandawards,professionalorganizations,patentsandpublications,andlanguageskillsThecombinationformatInfact,althoughthecombinationformatisincreasinglypopulartoday,liketheotherclassicformats,thecombinationformathasbothadvantagesanddisadvantages:Itallowsyoutohighlightskillsyournextemployerisseekinganddemonstratethelogicalprogressionofyourcareerfromonejobtothenext.Itsrelativecomplexitymaymakeithardtoabsorb,demandingsignificantattentionandenergyonthepartofthereader.Itmayappearrepetitive,sincesomeofthesameaccomplishmentsandcredentialsmayneedtobementionedinboththeskillssummaryandtheworkexperiencesectionsoftheresume.Thecombinationformat/06HowtochoosetherightformatforyouConsiderthechronologicalformatif:Yourcareerprogressionisclearandlogicalandseemstoleadnaturallytoyournextgreatjob.Theskillsandknowledgeyou’vedevelopedandusedinyourrecentpositionswillbereadilyapparentandunderstandabletoanyprospectiveemployer.Yourrecentemployerand/orjobtitlesarethesinglemostimpressivecredentialyouhavetooffer.Considerthefunctionalformatif:Yourcareerprogressionincludestimegaps,stepsbackwardorsideways,ordetoursintounrelatedbusinesses.You’rearecentgraduate,someonere-enteringtheworkforce,oracareerchanger.You’vedevelopedanimpressivearrayofskillsinaseriesofseeminglyirrelevantorunimpressivejobs.Considerthecombinationformatif:Yourcareerprogressionincludesbothpowerfulelements(suchasagreatcompanyortitle)andapparentweaknesses.Thelinkbetweenyourrecentpositionsandthenextgreatjobyouseekisrealbutlessthanobvious.Youhavebothvaluableskillsandimpressivecareerexperiencestoofferascredentials.Supposeyouareabouttograduatefromcollegeandneedtofindajob.Writearesumeforyourjobapplication.1.Decidewhatelementsshouldbeincludedintheresume.2.Decidewhichformatyouaregoingtouseandthereasonsforyourchoice.3.Decidewhatinformationwillbeshownintheresumeaccordingtoyourownsituation.ClassroomPracticeKeyforreference:1.Personalinformation,education,qualification,workexperienceandotherrelevantinformation.2.Thechronologicalformat,thefunctionalformatorthecombinationformat.3.Openanswers.ClassroomPractice/07Introduction:CoverlettersAcoverletteristhedocumentwhichaccompaniesyourresume.Thisisanopportunitytoexpanduponkeyinformationalreadyhighlightedonyourresumeand/ortointroducenewinformationwhichqualifiesyoufortheposition.Itspurposeistointerpretthedata-oriented,factualresumeandaddapersonaltouch.Acoverletterisoftenyourearliestwrittencontactwithapotentialemployer,creatingacriticalfirstimpression.Thekeyobjectivesofacoverletterinclude:informingtheemployerofyourinterestinthejobpersuadingtheemployerofyoursuitabilityforthejobmakingyoulookprofessionalbuildinggoodwillobtaininganinterviewoutliningthestructureofyourinterviewdemonstratingyourwritingandresearchskillsofferingalittlewindowintoyourpersonality/08GeneraloutlineforacoverletterAllcoverlettersshould:Explainwhyyouaresendingaresume.Don’tsendaresumewithoutacoverletterandmakethereaderguesswhatyouareaskingfor.Bespecific:Doyouwantasummerinternshipopportunity,orapermanentpositionaftergraduation?Areyouinquiringaboutfutureemploymentpossibilities?Tellspecificallyhowyoulearnedaboutthepositionortheorganization—aflyerpostedinyourdepartment,awebsite,orafamilyfriendwhoworksattheorganization.Itisappropriatetomentionthenameofsomeonewhosuggestedthatyouwritetheletter.Convincethereadertoreadyourresume.Thecoverletterwillbeseenfirst.Therefore,itmustbeverywellwrittenandtargetedatthatemployer.Allcoverlettersshould:Callattentiontoelementsofyourbackground—education,leadership,experience,etc.—thatarerelevanttothepositionyouareseeking.Beasspecificaspossible,usingexamples.Reflectyourattitude,personality,motivation,enthusiasm,andcommunicationskills.Provideorrefertoanyinformationspecificallyrequestedinajobadvertisementthatmightnotbecoveredinyourresume,suchastheavailabilitydateorreferencetoanattachedwritingsample.Indicatewhatyouwilldotofollowup./09TwotypesofcoverlettersCoverlettersgenerallyfallintotwocategories:letterofapplication:applyingforaspecific,advertisedopening.letterofinquiry:expressinginterestinanorganization,butyouarenotcertainiftherearecurrentopenings.Supposeyouwanttoapplyforapositioninacompanythatyouhavegreatinterestin.Writeacoverletterfortheapplication.1.Thinkaboutwhatpointsyouwanttohighlightinthecoverletter.2.Thinkaboutwhatotherinformationneedstobeincluded.ClassroomPracticeKeyforreference:1.Yourbasicinformationandbackground.Yourreasontoapplyfortheposition.2.Yourcontactinformation,whenyoucanbeinterviewed,etc.ClassroomPractice/10StrategiesforwritingacoverletterHereare10strategiesformatchingyourselftotheposition,soyoucangetaninterviewandgetthejob.1.Striketherighttone.Matchthetoneofyourletterwiththetoneofthecompanyandtheposition.Thiswillhelpyoubeperceivedasagood“cultural”fitforthecompany.2.Thelengthshouldbeappropriate.Whatistherightlength?Basetheansweronthelevelofdepthandcomplexityoftheposition.Foraseniormanagerposition,atwocoverletterchock-fullofaccomplishmentswouldwork.Foranentry-levelposition,ahalflettermightbeenough.Forindependentcontributorpositions(notsenior,notjunior),apagethatincludessomegermaneaccomplishmentsworks.3.Bestrategicaboutthecontent.Lookcarefullyattheactuallanguageinthejobdescription.Usethatlanguagetomatchyourexperiencesandaccomplishments.Thecoverletteriswhereyoushowthecompanywhyyouaresomuchmoreofafitthantheothercandidates.Yet,don’tusealargeamountoflanguagethatisvagueand“bragging”innature.Listaccomplishmentsandthenletthecompanydecideifyouaretherightfit.4.Matchkeywords.Hiringmanagersmayhavedozenstohundredsofcoverletterstoreviewonanygivenday.Carefullyincludekeywordsthatmatchthejobdutiesanddescription.Thismakesitmucheasierforhiringmanagersorassociates.5.Proofreadyourletterforgrammarandspelling.Youcan’timaginehowmanycoverlettershaveoddpunctuationorcontainwordsthatarespelledwrong.Thisisworsethanincludingnocoverletteratall.6.Yourcoverletterwillreflectyourmood.Seeifyoucanenjoywritingyourletter.Howyoufeelislikelytobereflectedinyourletter.Enthusiasmwillstandout.Shareyourletterwithsomeoneandaskthemwhatmoodyourletterconveys.Shapeyourlanguagesothatitreflectsthemoodyouwishittoreflect.7.Bulletpointsandafewbriefsummariesofaccomplishmentsshouldbeincluded.Accomplishmentsthataretangibleandquantifyyourresultsarehelpful,aslongastheletterdoesn’tjustduplicateyourresumeanditslengthdoesn’tgetoutofhand.Bulletpointsmakethelettereasiertoread.Youcanalsohighlightkeypoints.8.Endtheletterwithanopen-endedinvitationtomeetwiththecompanyinperson.9.Makesureyouprovideyourphonenumberande-mailaddressintheletter.Don’tmakethemgotoanotherpieceofpapertofigureouthowtocontactyou.10.Beyourself.It’snotalwayseasytobeyourself,becauseyoumaybewillingtotwistintoapretzeltogetthejob.Yet,themoreyourcoverletterandresumecanshowyourtrueself,theeasieritwillbeforyoutogetthedreamjobyouhavebeenwanting.12345ReviewQuestionsHowdoyoudefinearesume?Whatarethebasicelementsofaresume?Whatarethethreeclassicformatsofresumes?Whatarethedifferencesbetweenthem?Whatisacoverletter?Whyisitimportanttoajobseeker?Whatarethetwotypesofcoverletters?Whatarethelanguagefeaturesofresumes?1Task-basedExercisesReadeachoftheresumesanddecidewhattypeofresumeitis:achronologicalresume,functionalresume,orcombinationresume.1Task-basedExercisesReadeachoftheresumesanddecidewhattypeofresumeitis:achronologicalresume,functionalresume,orcombinationresume.1Task-basedExercisesReadeachoftheresumesanddecidewhattypeofresumeitis:achronologicalresume,functionalresume,orcombinationresume.1Task-basedExercisesKeyforreference:Resume1:chronologicalresumeResume2:combinationresumeResume3:functionalresume2Task-basedExercisesWriteasummaryofyourowneducationalbackgroundtomakeyourselfqualifiedforthejobyouwant.Forfunctionalresumes(thechoiceofmoststudents),youshouldconsiderstartingwithyoureducationandassociatedacademicskillsastheleadsummary.Thepurposeofthisintroductionistoconveythescopeofyourexperienceandbackgroundandindicatetothereaderyourkeystrengthsandareasofexpertise.Thefirstsectionoftheintroductionmustignitethereader’sinitialinterestandmakethemeagertoreadtherestofit.Hereisanexampleofastudent’sintroductorysection,focusingoneducationalexperience.2Task-basedExercisesKeyforreference:Openanswers.3Task-basedExercisesAswehavediscussed,thecareerprofileisaveryimportantpartofyourresume.Thesummaryisanat-a-glancedescriptionofwhoyouareandwhatyouhaveaccomplished.Hereisanexampleofacrispcareerprofile.Itwouldnottakemorethan15secondstograspwhatthispersonhasaccomplished.Nowtrytocreateyourown